


Little Talks

by GrumpkinVicky



Series: Promptfics 2020 [5]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, The Borrowers - All Media Types
Genre: Crack Crossover, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Crack, Leaving Home, M/M, Multi, Not Canon Compliant, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:55:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27459091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrumpkinVicky/pseuds/GrumpkinVicky
Summary: Gredia Cadash has something important to talk to her dad about, it's very important and is beyond time.A prompt fic from "what if Solas was a borrower but didn't think he was one."
Relationships: Female Cadash/Abelas
Series: Promptfics 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1813141
Kudos: 4





	Little Talks

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AlyssumFlowers](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlyssumFlowers/gifts).



“Dad?” She’d been working up to this all week and he managed to avoid any conversation alone until now.

“Yes, my youngest?” she groaned as he answered, he always did that. Serva said his was the worst with yes my middlest because according to Serva it made him sound fat. Ecker wasn’t fond of yes my oldest either. She’d told Gredia not to moan too much about being called young, and that she would understand when she was older why being constantly referred to as old was a bad thing. 

“You know how we are borrowers?” She couldn’t do it, so defaulted to the next best thing. 

“And a fine people we are too, but what is the number one rule?” she almost heard the sigh of relief from dad, it was clear she wasn’t the only one dreading the conversation.

“Not to let the bean’s see us,” the sentence echoed through them. “But, Dad, you know how we are all borrowers?” 

“That we are, from the Trevelyan’s of the Doll House to the Adaar’s of the Mantlepiece, the Lavellan’s of the Terrarium, and us Cadash’s of the Skirting Boards.” He started off, and she was fairly sure she would hear about every family living within the house.

“Dadddddd.” Sometimes the old ways were the best, whining broke through the rote of names.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, peering out of the mousehole to check the status of the fearsome cat, who was currently allowed indoors after a brief exile to the stables after a breakage issue. 

“What about Solar?” She asked with a hint of a smirk as her dad sighed. Because the easiest way to divert a conversation was to bring up Solar, the worst of all the borrowers within the house.

“What about Solar?” He asked, pulling a face at the name.

“Well is he a borrower?”

“Well, yes,” he answered slowly as if he’d not really thought about it before. While she had, at great length with Solar’s older brother.

“Because he doesn’t seem to be a borrower.” 

“Well he is,” he answered, ducking his head back in as the sound of the bean entrance door opening, meant that the smaller of the beans were back for the day.

“Because he doesn’t say he is, he says he’s not like all of us.” It was met with another sigh and a faint muttering of something that sounded like, “too blooming right,” the conversation ceasing altogether as the loudest of the beans thundered into the room.

What Gredia wanted to say was, “What are they trying to do, break the floorboards?” as both of them grabbed onto the network of ropes hanging from above to stop them from falling over. What she actually said, was nothing. Dad had a hand over her mouth.

It was a well-known fact that these beans were aware of the existence of borrowers, thanks to Arriety Cadash, her distant grandmother. Dad said he thought that Arriety had come back to them in the form of Gredia, Gredia thought that was much better than whatever Solar thought they were. 

It made borrowing harder, there had been talks about leaving the house and finding a new home. There was always talk, whenever the beans bought new dollhouses and left them set up perfectly for a family to move into. The Trevelyan’s had because they were no better than they ought, according to Mother Cadash, who was formerly of the Sideboard Chants. That Serva was courting the eldest Trevelyan daughter, hadn’t made the rivalry any easier. Serva confessed that he was planning on moving up to the Attic to join the Hawkes to get as far as he could from their mother. Gredia didn’t blame him in the slightest.

Gredia had her eye on one of the Sentinels, who claimed half the garden and the greenhouse. She hadn’t yet confessed to her mother yet, who seemed to believe that Gredia would settle down with that nice Pavus lad who lived in the Cellar. The nice Pavus lad who lived in the cellar who was currently shacking up with two of the Chargers of the Pantry. Progression hadn’t made it down to the skirting boards if listening to her mother meant anything. Even if Aunt Asure Cadash was living with Marbles Chasind, up behind the big clock. Because according to Vina Cadash, formerly Vina Chant, that didn’t count.

Many things that didn’t fit didn’t count with her mother. Her dad for one, he really didn’t fit in with her mother's future plans. Gredia being another thing that didn’t fit. Mother didn’t like hearing about Arriety, as she was a Cadash hero, not a Chant hero. The only heroes her mother liked hearing about were Drasty, who died in the fire after sacrificing herself to save the Chants longer ago than even Arriety. Every time Arriety was mentioned, which seemed to be every time the Trevelyans appeared, Drasty would be mentioned at length. Normally with her mother dabbing at her eyes as if she was crying.

“So what does Solar think he is?” He asked as the thundering stomping stopped.

“He thinks that he’s an elf,” which was ridiculous. Not because elves didn’t exist, because they probably did. But all the pictures of elves were from the female small beans books where they danced around a giant toadstool. The other elf that they knew of was the large statue of Galadriel, who was useful to hide under the large silk robe as the smaller beans were not allowed to touch her. He didn’t look like either type. 

“I remember when young Solar was born,” he got that wistful expression he always did when babies were involved. “Misty Sentinel was so proud of him, as she was all of her children.”

“Speaking of the Sentinel’s…” She checked to see if he was still in the baby haze, where he would agree to almost anything. “Abel has built a lovely home out in the Greenhouse, with access to the kitchen through the cellar.” 

“Good for him, carving out a space is the most important thing a borrower can do, that and what?” Her dad liked to ask spot questions to make sure she understood the rules of being a borrower, she hadn’t failed once.

“Don’t let the bean’s see you. Abel’s worried he’s going to be all lonely, and I was thinking, now that Serva’s going to be leaving soon, and Ecker’s living with Call Rutherford in the living room, that maybe you and mum would like some space?” It would be easier if he suggested she moved out, rather than her telling him she would be.

“It would be nice to spend time with just your mother,” he sighed, looking a lot happier than Gredia would at the prospect. “But Gredia, you still have lots of time before you need to leave.”

“Look at Quill though, she waited, and now she’s stuck with Solda as a mother in law.” Gredia couldn’t think of much worse, than going from living with Misty who was the most overbearing hag, to Solda who got upset about the seasons changing.

“Quill didn’t get stuck with Solda, she waited for young Stair to find his own space. Granted it was quite the shock when he moved next to the Warden’s in the Scullery…” he trailed off. “More of a shock when Solda left the Morning Room to keep an eye on him mind. It was the talk of the house for months.” 

“Wouldn’t you move?” she muttered under her breath, choking back a laugh as he muttered an agreement. Solda wasn’t even Stair’s real mother, it was an open secret that Stair was Market’s real son, but Market and Raven decided it was better that he lived with Solda and Earwig instead.

“So about Abel…” She tried again as he started picking his away around the edge of the carpet to where the conveniently placed small ladder was attached to the back of the dresser.

“It’s wonderful he’s found his own place.” He answered, holding his hand out to pull her up the last rung.

“Yes, but he’s worried he’s going to be lonely, and you and mum need space of your own, and I was thinking, well, it wouldn’t take very long to get from the Skirting boards to the Greenhouse through the cellar into the kitchen,” she rushed through the route to get to the most important part. “And you know mum likes the Pavus family, she thinks they are “good borrowers” so it would be even better. She could see them twice every time she wanted to visit.”

“She does like Aqua Pavus, Half is a bit of a bore, please don’t tell your mother,” he said, reaching down to fiddle with the latch to the sewing drawer. “What was it she wanted? More of the red or yellow thread?”

“She wanted a bobbin and some thread, and if they had any some more of that blue ribbon, I think she wants to make a new dress for when Serva leaves,” she said, slipping down through the crack in the drawer to investigate.

“Is there?”

“Lots and the thread is off the spool again.” The beans were being helpful again, the skeins of thread hanging from hooks in nice neat rows. The pins laid out resting in a grid, so they didn’t have to wrestle them out of the pincushion. Even the buttons were arranged in a way to make it easy to remove. All they needed to do to make this easier would be to cut a hole in the back of the drawer coming out just next to the ladder. 

“Get both colours, and enough to make two dresses for mum,” he called down.

“Will do. You like Abel, you told me that of all the Sentinel’s he’s the best,” she tried again, pulling red and yellow thread off the hooks, handing them back up to him before heading back to get the ribbon.

“Did I?”

“Yes, well, who else would you call the best?” Because it definitely wasn’t Solar, or Misty. The other Sentinel’s were alright, but Abel was the best by far. He stood up to his mother and kept Solarse from being too much of an arse. 

“You know your mother does have high hopes for you and Door Pavus,” he mentioned, frowning as she hooked the bobbin onto his rope. 

“Yes but Door is seeing the Chargers and is happy, and I like Abel,” she carried on, determined to get through this now they’d finally started the conversation.

“He has to ask me himself,” he said as he started to pull the bobbin up.

“Funny you should mention that,” she said, spotting the familiar shape of Abel appear behind him. They’d agreed that it was time to mention it before Misty got any ideas about Abel chasing after the youngest Hawke. Abel had been following at a distance all morning, giving her unsubtle signs to hurry up and tell him. He’d made her sit through an entire meal with Misty before he told her. At least her dad was nice.

“Sir,” Abel said, grabbing hold of the rope and pulling with her dad.

“I should have known when you said you wanted to come with me,” her dad sighed. “You know it’s not me you need to convince, it’s your mother.”

“But dad, if you agree then she can’t say no, you know what she’s like,” Gredia said trying not to whine, pulling strips of the ribbon to the edge to attach to the hook once the bobbin was secured.

“Sir, I can’t imagine my life without Gredia in it, and I would make sure we visited every week,” Abel said. She coughed as he changed the month to a week without her say so. Ecker visited once a season, as mother had kicked up a fuss about Call’s twitching problem. That her mother kept pointing it out, when it wasn’t Call’s fault he’d gotten stuck in a wine bottle for two days while they tried to rescue him when he was a youngster, leaving him with a twitch around red colours. Serva thought he might not visit ever. Gredia thought once a month was generous, and it wasn’t like they wouldn’t see her dad, because Ecker and Serva saw him all the time.

“You’ve found your home?” Her dad asked.

“I’ve spent a lot of time making it into somewhere that your youngest daughter would be happy to live. Mother has agreed that it will no longer be known as Sentinel space but as Cadash Corner,” Abel said, ignoring her for the moment.

“Misty agreed to that?” she blurted out.

“Well it was either that or I told her that I would encourage Solar to follow his heart,” Abel said with a sly grin.

“To go off and find the power he was missing?” She asked delightedly because he’d kept going on and on about how he was going to return the world to how it once was.

“I’ll want to see this house of yours before I agree,” her dad said.

“Of course Sir, perhaps if Mother Cadash would visit too, to be reassured?” Both Gredia and her dad exchanged looks before shaking their heads.

“Best not to, if you can convince me that Gredia will be looked after, not that she needs it, but if you can, and if Misty agrees…”

“DAD!” she squealed as with the ribbon she was hauled up. “You can’t take it back!”

“I’d be a fool to not see the writing on the wall. Really Gredia, every day for months now it’s been “Abel this, Abel that,” if I didn’t love you, I’d be telling him to run,” he hugged her tightly.

“He’s lying, I did no such thing,” she said as she spotted Abel grinning.

“I know more about what he’s eating than I do about what we eat,” her dad ruffled her hair. “Are you sure?” 

“Dad!”

“Yes Sir, Mother’s complained that she hears Gredia’s name more than her own,” Abel confessed, reaching out a hand for her to hold.

“Just remember what they say about us Cadash’s,” he warned.

“That we’re the only ones capable of living in constant danger of rats and mice,” she answered before Abel could open his mouth.

“Best borrower’s of the house, Sir,” Abel said as her dad nodded.

“Good lad,” he set off down the ladder, leaving Gredia and Abel at the top staring happily at each other. “Come on then, if you want to convince me to let you take my youngest.”

“After you,” Abel whispered into her ear, his lips brushing her cheek.

“Don’t you want to see my bottom as I climb down behind you?” she asked with a grin.

“Not with your dad watching, no,” he replied.

“Spoilsport,” she lifted up to kiss him lightly on the lips. 

“Only for you,” he swatted her lightly as her dad called back up to them, “Coming, Sir.”

“Maybe later…” she said, laughing as he growled behind her.

**Author's Note:**

> inGREDIAnts  
> preSERVAtives  
> black and dECKER


End file.
